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McDonald's in the UK is to introduce a number of changes after getting letters from a regulator. The changes follow a legal agreement with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which was signed in 2023. That agreement was due to end this year, but has now been extended for at least 12 more months. T he regulator wrote to owners of McDonald’s UK franchises warning they could face legal action if they failed to comply. The EHRC said on Friday it needed to agree “stronger actions” with McDonald’s, but was pleased with steps the group was now taking. More than 700 people who were 19 or younger when working at McDonald’s, have instructed law firm Leigh Day to take legal action. More than 450 McDonald’s restaurants had been implicated in the claims by February, which described discrimination, homophobia, racism, ableism and harassment. Baroness Kishwer Falkner, chairwoman of the EHRC, said: “We originally signed a legal agreement with McDonald’s to prevent sexual harassment in 2023. “After serious allegations were raised, we decided we needed to update the action plan with stronger actions that were more specific to the way McDonald’s operates. We’re pleased with the significant steps McDonald’s has agreed to take towards a safer working environment for its staff and recognise the hard work they’ve done so far. “Once completed, the actions that make up this legal agreement will ensure that there is zero tolerance for harassment at McDonald’s and there are clear routes to report and resolve complaints if it does occur.” The strengthened steps that McDonald’s must take under the new agreement include working with external experts on a new safeguarding plan to protect vulnerable workers, which will be rolled out across McDonald’s restaurants; ensuring complaints against managers are investigated outside the restaurant; hiring an external auditor to audit McDonald’s new complaints handling unit and expanding training for managers and franchisees to cover social media and grooming. McDonald’s is one of Britain’s largest employers, with more than 170,000 people working in 1,450 restaurants. The fast food giant says the average age of its employees is 20. The legal claims follow a separate BBC report in 2023, in which workers spoke of sexual assault, harassment, racism and bullying in the workplace. That prompted McDonald’s to bring in consultants from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to audit its restaurants. A McDonald’s spokeswoman said: “Over the last three years, alongside our franchisees, we have embedded an extensive set of robust and far-reaching initiatives, as part of our steadfast commitment to ensuring a safe working environment in McDonald’s restaurants. “We welcome the fact that these measures have been formalised within the latest EHRC agreement. This will build on the significant progress we have already made in this space. “The agreement incorporates many of our existing measures which have been developed in consultation with leading experts. We are confident the measures we have implemented are working and making a difference to the 148,000 people currently employed by McDonald’s and our franchisees across the UK today.”
